Should we have given the job to Barmby until the end of the season and then reviewed? I'm not Barmby outing or anything, I just think it'd have been the better option, in hindsight.
Whatever happens for the rest of this season, i'd still fully back Barmby going into next season. However, if the worst happened, and say after 15 games that we was looking like relegation candidates - i'd imagine that Barmby would part company on agreeable terms. He wouldn't exactly "do a Bullard". I have confidence that Barmby can do a good job for us though. He wants to play good football, and he always wants what is best for the club. He seems keen not to 'panic' and change the system etc... and often managers are too quick to change things which might work. Maybe Barmby is too laid back, and has too much confidence in the players, but that is something that he can learn this season. Then, next season, with changes to his squad, he could have some good alternative options.
I'd be more down if we were getting smashed every game and being played off the park, I suppose this season has turned into another consolidation one, the play-offs are still not out of reach though and a 9 match unbeaten run is not too shabby regardless. I posted last week that it wouldn't be too long before the negative nancies would be out in force questioning the manager, no doubt when we start losing games things will get out of hand pretty fast.
I like the football he's trying to play and I'm more than happy that he's our manager, he's a new manager and is bound to make mistakes, as long he learns from them, then he'll do fine.
I'm maybe in the minority here, but I DO NOT like the football we are playing! Specifically I dislike how we cannot attack at pace, we break forward then STOP. The midfield slow it down, pass back to defenders who then have to come forward with the ball, most times they lump a ball out of play or straight back to the opposition. Slowing things down just gives the opponents time to get back behind the ball, into shape and recover their composure. This is why we are not scoring IMO. Sort this out and the results might change.
Sorry meant to add its all too safe, too predictable and too boring. Based on watching football for excitement I'm surprised our attendances haven't halved.
Do you watch a different game to me? I agree that the tempo at times is to slow and like i have said we need to attack teams when they are in their transitional play. However hoofing the ball? i very really see us hoof the ball out of play.
The biggest thing for me in all of this is end of season, Nick will have a clear out of sorts I think, and bring some fresh feet in, that's when we'll know if he's made of the right stuff. He's stuck to a certain degree with the 2 previous managers buys, which yes, mostly are great, I just think its time for Steward and McLean to move on.
This. The only annoying thing is his refusal to admit we had/have a goal scoring problem. I'm sure he wanted to bring players in but there was no money for one reason or another. In the long term he's 100% the right option IMO.
I dont think it really matters. If we decided to get rid of NIck I bet he wouldnt take the compensation for his remaining contract.
Barmby is definitely the right man for the job. I've been getting as pissed off as anyone else lately about the way things are going but when I think about it, it's obvious Barmby is trying his absolute best to sort things out. When asked about a change of formation a few weeks back he said something like 'teams playing 4-4-2 don't make the chances we do' and whilst I didn't understand it at the time I think it makes sense after yesterdays game; when we switched to 4-4-2 we hardly touched the ball and didn't create anything really. He gets us playing the right way, we're a good footballing side and they're all honest lads who don't ever need to cheat like many teams do(with the possible exception of Dawson and his shirt-tugging, but I'd say Dudgeon is better anyway). I think we really need to get the pitch sorted and work on getting the ball back into play faster (ball rotation?). Teams like Stoke have been known to alter the dimensions of their ground to suit their style, why can't we? We should make our pitch as massive as possible. Once he's able to bring some players in, we're going to be a great side. I think in time we can be the next Swansea. Obviously the biggest problem is potentially losing the likes of Chester, Koren and Stewart.
I think that annoying little turd Bullard was one of the problems. The club had to withhold the transfer purse in case he won his appeal for wrongful dismissal. If what we hear is right and the little ****e is getting **** all then just maybe there might be a little wonga to bring in a decent striker on loan for the rest of the season. But I wont hold my breath.
Barmby hasn't done much wrong, and anything he gets wrong I'm sure he'll learn from. Not much point in replacing him with someone else for the fans to disagree with. Nowadays, all managers get stick. Heard Spurs (best season in decades) fans ranting on radio about Harry's tactics & playing Modric and Bale out of position at Everton.
The problem at the moment is that we're only seeing part of the picture. Nick has a clear vision of how he wants us to play, but at the moment he has to try and shape Pearson's squad to fit that as best he can. Ok that raises the question why he hasn't brought his own players in and none of us know the truth of that, but he may be thinking that he would rather be sure of getting the right players in the summer than taking what's closest to what he needs now. I'm very optomistic about NB from what we've seen so far and he definitely only deserves to be judged when he has a full Nick Barmby squad.
Barmby is a new, young manager and I believe in time he will get things right. He will get things sorted, but unfortunately not in time to save this season. Bringing players into the club in January can sometimes be a disaster, he could have wasted money we can't afford to waste. Can't see us coming good this month, 6 to play (4 of them away). Can draw most of them, but now not good enough. Same with our games in hand. So it looks like maybe next season.
firstly, even if he knows that we need a cutting edge that isnt currently there in our play, he is hardly likely to voice his opinion publicly second, if City were to be happy with a 10th place finish (as indeed was stated more than once at the start of the season), any such public statement now is going to affect our income from now to the end of the season thirdly, the club has been restructured from top to bottom. the intrastructure, finances, players, junior and senior management are in no position to move to the next level. a mid-table finish and continued sustainable growth through the summer into next season has to be a good result considering where we could have been but for an illogical investment from the Allams. Incidentally, i still firmly believe that if something seems too good to be true, them it usually is! I also firmly believe that there is no such as a free lunch, and rich men dont get rich by giving anything away!
I think Barmby would love his team to play really fluid football but it seems like the inexperience and lack of confidence from a few players completely slows everything down by making the wrong pass / decision. It was nice to see us actually shooting when we're in around the box yesterday though, instead of passing it out wide and putting a poor ball in... Sure we'll start scoring a few more goals if we actually shoot!!
Barmby was the obvious choice when Pearson left - the only member of the coaching staff left, so he knew the players and he is a club legend - so the powers that be knew there would not have been a mass revolt about his appointment from the fans - unlike if we had brought in a new guy (who was a realistic option other than Nick). In terms of his first part of season - it is going, I think most fans would concur, okay, we can still reach the play offs, there seems to be a happy camp of players and we lost none of our treasures in the last transfer window. I hope in the summer we can still keep our treasures and that Barmby had learned a few lessons from his first foray into management. The main judgement will be who he brings in as signings as that will tell us a lot about where he saw possible failures this season and where he wants to be taking the club next season.
